Abstract
We studied the hearing aid use and communication methods in 43 children with hearing loss and multiple disabilities who visited the Fukuoka Welfare Center for rehabilitation between April 2012 and March 2013. Sixteen of the patients used their hearing aid in limited places, and 13 of them had stopped using the hearing aid. As a means of communication, some children were able to use spoken language, and had hearing loss between a mild level and severe level. The children who had profound hearing loss used sign language. The children with profound mental retardation did not use either spoken or sign language. Most of the children communicated using characters, pictures, photographs, gestures, pointing, etc. In the case of the children who had profound mental retardation and were unable to express themselves, the parents or caregivers tried to communicate by observing the child's movements and eyes.
